Breaking News: NCAA Orders Audit of All Airlines in Nigeria

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered an immediate comprehensive audit of all airlines operating in Nigeria following recent incidents of plane crashes.

The Street Journal recalls that a helicopter belonging to Bristow on Wednesday plunged into the Lagos lagoon claiming six lives including two crew members, with six survivors.

A statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by NCAA’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Fan Ndubuoke, said the directive which was given by its Director General, Capt. Muhtar Usman, was in line with the authority’s regulatory and oversight responsibilities.

It said that the pockets of incidents that had occurred recently were being viewed seriously by the authority and the wholesale audit was one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents.

The statement reads in part: “In other words, there should be strict adherence to states’ weather minima and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

“Airline Operations in Nigeria will continue to be done according to the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) thereby ensuring safe and secure operations.”

It further explained that the directive would forestall complacency among airline operators and ensure that they all continued to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations, adding that the audit would ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers in the industry.

It said that Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) would continue to intensify routine ramp inspections.

The statement added that NCAA had sent out a stern warning to all pilots to take precautionary measures during all adverse weather conditions and assured Nigerians that the NCAA would continue to ensure that its regulations were strictly complied with.